There is something to be said for clean and simple cards. I love lace, doilies, ribbons, pearls in fact anything vintage. My normal style is to put lots of texture into any project so it is good every now and then to try something different. As promised on my Facebook page here is today’s card.

It was a simple and quick card to make and a lot of fun. I hope you like the card and as always if you have any questions or would like to say anything please leave a comment. I love hearing from you!

As mentioned in a previous post it is the 25th anniversary year for Stampin’ Up! There are lots of special promotions during the year. Keep an eye on the Stampin’ Up! website for more information.

I thought you may also like to see a little history and the journey taken by Stampin’ Up! over the past 25 years. It is amazing what has been achieved by two sisters who just loved to create and share that love with others. I really enjoyed reading this page as it just goes to show how one little idea can bloom if you step outside your comfort zone and just go for it!

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you are feeling inspired to get out your paper and ink and start making something.

Vintage! The word seems to be everywhere these days. I have always loved old things (I say that to my husband sometimes and remind him he is blessed I feel that way! ☺ lol) – old lace, embroidery, linen, fabric, jars, tools, furniture – the list goes on. I love timber furniture – the older the better. I love to hear the history of the piece. It is kind of like people who collect old books. They like to know who read it before them. They love books with inscriptions and dates. The feel of the paper, the beautiful illustrations often hand painted, limited editions – one of life’s pleasures.

Today’s blog is a bit of vintage. I purchased a pair of crochet flat shoes for the huge price of $14. I had them on at home to wear them in a bit and thought what a great canvas to be creative. Using some elements from my very favourite Artisan Embellishments Kit, some hand dyed Crochet Trim (crumb cake), hand dyed Flower Trim (Raspberry Ripple & crumb cake), various beads and fresh water pearls I went to town. The photos have come out a bit yellow which ads to the whole vintage look. I have also sprayed both shoes with Scotchguard to protect them from dirt and grim.

I’m very happy with the results and I now have a totally original pair of shoes. The whole project only took about an hours and the elements were very easy to sew onto the shoes.

Creativity is only limited by your imagination. Stampin’ Up! products are not just for card making and scrapbooking. Think outside the square and look around the house. I”d love to hear from you with any ideas. I’m happy to put readers projects on my blog so email me your photos. If you would like to know anything about this project or wish to say anything please post a comment.

Friendship is one of those things that enriches our lives. We sometimes take friends for granted but we certainly notice if we don’t have any. Today’s card is a tribute to Friendship. To all my friends out there I certainly love you and my life would not be the same if your were not a part of it. ♡

Sale-a-bration ends this week so if you have items on your “wish list” then this is the time to purchase them. Email me at chantiniw@gmail.com if you wish to place an order. For every $100 you spend you can choose one of the Sale-a-bration gifts. You might like the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper or the ribbons and buttons pack? There are 19 items to choose from so I’m sure you will find something that inspires you! Don’t miss out ☹

A friendship is a good thing to have. I hope as you create something today you might celebrate your friendships.

I have to say it is not hard to create great cards with the beautiful elements, lace and ribbons found in Stampin’ Up!‘s Artisan Embellishments Kit. Every time I sit down to make something with this kit it just falls into place. I have two projects to share with you today.

These cards were a lot of fun to make and really quite easy. If you would like to know anything about the products I’ve used or have any questions please leave a comment or email me. I’d love to hear from you!

There are only 11 more “sleeps” till Sale-a-bration comes to an end. If you would like to take advantage of this promotion please let me know. You can find out more on the Stampin’ Up! site.

I hope you are feeling inspired today. I’d love to see any projects you’ve made so please feel free to email me a photo or two.

Today I’ve decided to feature one of the Sale-a-bration stamp sets that you can receive free with a $100 qualifying order. It is the beautiful Bloomin’ Marvelous Stamp set. This set has 8 stamps made up of four sentiments and four images. There is really no limit to what can be created with this set and it would be a great set if you were starting out on the road to creativity. I have made two cards using the same stamping techniques.

For both cards I stamped the 4 images from the Bloomin’ Marvelous Stamp set onto Whisper White card stock and then cut them out. The butterfly and bird were stamped using the “Rock and Roll” technique. You will notice I used the 2011-2013 In Colours for both the inks and the coloured card stock. I attached the images using Stampin’ Dimensionals to raise the images. On the card above I punched out 4 squares using the Postage Stamp punch and 5 squares using all 5 colours from the In Colour card stock and the 1 3/8″ Square punch. I then layered these to give the raised effect using Stampin’ Dimensionals. For the sentiment I stamped the words first and then punched out using the Postage Stamp punch. By doing it this you can place the words exactly where you want them. Using the Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder I made a mat for the five stamped embellishments to sit on. Using the dots also made it easy to line up. I finished the card off with the Tangerine Tango ribbon (also one of the possible free items during Sale-a-bration).

I hope these little projects inspire you today. If you would like to take advantage of the Sale-a-bration promotion (ends on the 22nd March) then please email me or leave a comment. You can visit the Stampin’ Up! website and check out the catalogues here. If you have any questions or need any help with anything in my blog just drop me a line.

Every now and then you create something that turns out better then what was in your head when you started. This is one of those cards. I think you will understand what I mean if you are a creative person.

Those of you who know the Stampin’ Up! products may be wondering about the colours for the hand dyed elements on this card. The majority of items I dyed using rubbing alcohol (available at the chemist or supermarkets) and the Crumb Cake Classic Stampin’ Ink Refills. The blue rose is Pool Party and the pink is Raspberry Ripple. It was a lot of fun and definitely worth trying. The photo below shows the items I used and the results.

I hope this card inspires you today. Maybe you are inspired to dye a unique embellishment for your next project!

Just a reminder that Sale-a-bration finishes on the 22nd of March so if you want to take advantage of the great items on offer please contact me. If you have any questions or would like to make a comment about this blog I’d love to hear from you.